The invention relates to a mask for X-ray lithography, in particular, for pattern generation on a semiconductor substrate coated with radiation-sensitive resist, consisting of a substantially radiation-transmissive carrier, with a geometrically structured absorber layer arranged thereon.
Such a mask is known from European patent application EP-O No. 104 685 A2. It is particularly for the manufacture of semiconductor components in a so-called VLSI technique (very large scale integration) that exposure masks enabling manufacture of semiconductor structures which lie in the range of one micrometer and below are required. Such small geometric structures are transferred, for example, by means of X-ray light from the mask onto a semiconductor wafer, the substrate, coated with X-ray-light-sensitive resist, and are then developed and further processed with the techniques commonly used in semiconductor technology, for example, with the aid of diffusion processes and also etching procedures. The manufacture of such VLSI semiconductor components requires several exposure, diffusion and etching procedures to be performed chronologically, with differently structured masks. These masks must be aligned with respect to the structures already present on the substrate, for example, with the aid of suitable alignment marks. Such alignment procedures necessitate a precision (tolerance) of less than 0.1 .mu.m. The current economic situation furthermore demands a manufacturing process of such VLSI semiconductor components which is economical and involves as little time as possible.